Fax Accounts

ABSTRACT

A fax account is described and creates an association between users and documents that are faxed. A fax account allows a user to secure their taxed documents and organize and streamline fax communication via different transports. In at least some embodiments, security is enhanced through the use of an authentication model that authenticates individual users before giving them access to the fax functionality or, more accurately, their fax account. In at least some embodiments, fax accounts also provide users with an infrastructure through which they can manage their documents. In addition, in at least some embodiments, fax accounts can be used to manage and direct received faxes to the intended recipient, thus reducing the possibility of an unintended recipient gaining access to the fax.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to methods and systems for enabling users to faxdocuments.

BACKGROUND

In the past, there have been systems that allow a user to send andreceive faxes from a computer, such as their desk top computer. Most ifnot all of these systems, however, suffer from drawbacks not the leastof which pertains to security and privacy.

For example, in many systems there is no way to differentiate betweenusers who might receive a fax. This is inherently caused by the lack ofan unambiguous recipient identification in the standard fax protocols.Thus, if a particular computer is shared by more than one user, eachuser typically has access to all of the faxes that are received by thatcomputer. In the event that a faxed document contains sensitivematerial, those other than the intended recipient may be able to viewthe document. This situation is further compounded when a fax server isutilized, such as one that might be utilized by a large enterprise. Inthe fax server scenario, anyone with access to the server can access andview faxed documents that may be intended for other recipients. Needlessto say, this is not a desirable situation.

Accordingly, this invention arose out of concerns associated withproviding improved methods and systems for faxing documents.

SUMMARY

In the embodiments described below, the concept of a fax account isintroduced. Fax accounts create an association between users anddocuments that are faxed. A fax account allows a user to secure theirfaxed documents and organize and streamline fax communication viadifferent transports. In at least some embodiments, security is enhancedthrough the use of an authentication model that authenticates individualusers before giving them access to the fax functionality or, moreaccurately, their fax account. In at least some embodiments, faxaccounts also provide users with an infrastructure through which theycan manage their documents. In addition, in at least some embodiments,fax accounts can be used to manage and direct received faxes to theintended recipient, thus reducing the possibility of an unintendedrecipient gaining access to the fax.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a user interface in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a user interface in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a user interface in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates steps in a method in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates steps in a method in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates steps in a method in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates steps in a method in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary topology of a local fax modem service inaccordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary topology of a shared fax server inaccordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary user interface in accordance with oneembodiment.

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary system in accordance with oneembodiment.

FIG. 12 illustrates steps in a method in accordance with one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview

In the embodiments described below, the concept of a fax account isintroduced. Fax accounts create an association between users anddocuments that are faxed. A fax account allows a user to secure theirfaxed documents and organize and streamline fax communication viadifferent transports, such as via a phone line/modem, a server (such asa Windows® server or Microsoft Exchange® server), an Internet faxservice provider, and the like. Security is enhanced, in at least someembodiments, through the use of an authentication model thatauthenticates individual users before giving them access to the faxfunctionality or, more accurately, their fax account. Fax accounts alsoprovide users with an infrastructure through which they can manage theirdocuments. In the embodiments described below, the infrastructure thatis employed is a folder infrastructure, although any suitableinfrastructure can be utilized.

In addition, in at least some embodiments, fax accounts can be used tomanage and direct received faxes to the intended recipient, thusreducing the possibility of an unintended recipient gaining access tothe fax.

Further, fax accounts provide a foundation for extensibility into thefuture. Specifically, fax accounts can be embodied with properties andcharacteristics that further enhance the user experience. Accordingly,as developers come up with new and innovative features, these featurescan be easily incorporated into the overall fax functionality by virtueof the fax account.

Exemplary Embodiment

In the discussion below, the following terminology will be used. Aclient fax account (CFA) refers to an account created on a clientmachine that describes the particular fax connection and that detailsthe settings used with that connection. In the illustrated and describedembodiment, each fax connection can have just one CFA per user. A faxconnection refers to a mechanism for delivering or receiving a fax—e.g.,a fax modem, a dedicated fax server, etc. A server fax account (SFA)refers to an account created on a dedicated fax server that allows anindividual user to make use of that server and that details thepermissions and limitations of that use. In the illustrated anddescribed embodiment, each user can have just one SFA for any particularserver.

The discussion below starts with a description of how a user or systemadministrator might configure and set up fax accounts. As there are anumber of different transports that might be employed to facilitate thefax functionality, the discussion below provides examples for several ofthese transports. Following this, a description of how one might use afax account to create, send, receive and view faxes via the inventivesystem is provided.

Configuring a Fax Account

Assume that a first time user desires to set up a fax account so that heor she can send and receive faxes from their client machine. In theillustrated and described embodiment, setting up a fax account involvestwo distinct aspects.

First, the fax service that is to be utilized with the account needs tobe configured. Configuring the fax service includes such things asselecting and configuring the transport layer that is to be used withthe account. In the illustrated and described embodiment, there can be anumber of potential transport layers. For example, the transport layercan be the computing device's local fax modem, a fax modem built into aconnected multi-function peripheral (MFP) device, a server such as aWindows® fax server or a Microsoft Exchange® Server or a Fax ServiceProvider (FSP). In addition, configuring the fax service also includessetting up and configuring what is referred to as the backendinfrastructure. The backend infrastructure includes such things asfolder structures such as an Inbox, Drafts, Sent Items, and Outboxfolders that help a user manage their fax messages, as well as storage.

Second, in addition to configuring the fax service, account-specificinformation is collected. Account-specific information includes suchthings as generic information about the user of the account (such as hisor her name, organization, email address and the like). In addition,account specific information can include a direct inward dial (DID)number which can be used so that incoming faxes can be automaticallyassigned to the intended fax account. The account-specific informationcan be used for a number of things as well, such as automaticallygenerating cover pages, populating the cover pages with a user'sinformation, and as noted above, automatically assigning incoming faxesto the intended fax account.

Server Account Permissions, Creation and Configuration

In the illustrated and described embodiment, a fax account can becreated in a couple of different ways. First, a system administrator cancreate a user-specific account on a fax server, such as a shared faxserver. Second, an individual user can create a fax account on his orher local computing device.

In a shared fax environment, the server can maintain an Access ControlList (ACL) for all the users that are permitted to use the faxfunctionality. The Access Control List can define not only who canaccess the fax functionality, but also which permissions are associatedwith which users. Permissions can include such things as permission tosend and receive faxes, permission to move ahead in a fax queue,permission to fax documents during high use times, permission to changeor modify account-specific data, and the like. In addition, fax orsystem administrators can define attributes for the individual accounts,such as those that control the amount of disk space allocated for anyone account.

In the illustrated and described embodiment, folders are an integralpart of a fax account and can be created based on the permissions.Folders can be employed in both the local scenario and the shared faxserver scenario. For example, if the user has permission to receivefaxes, then an Inbox folder can be created when the actual account iscreated. If the user has permission to send faxes, then the Outbox andSent Items folder can be created.

In the fax server context, information associated with the fax account(such as company name, title, user and the like) is maintained on theserver that holds the account. In some cases, the client and server willrun on the same local machine which, in turn, means that the fax accountinformation is maintained on the local machine.

Client Account Configuration

In at least one embodiment, fax accounts can be set up in the same wayas e-mail accounts are set up. In this manner, the user is provided withan experience with which they may already be familiar. As such, the faxaccount setup can be invoked in a number of ways.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the user can select, from “Tools” menu100, the “E-mail and Fax Accounts” menu item 102. Alternately oradditionally, the user can select the E-mail and Fax Control Panel 104and proceed from there. Alternately or additionally, the user may selectone of a number of fax discovery options that may be available to thembefore a fax account exists.

As noted above, there are a number of potential transport layers orconnection types that might be employed to implement the faxfunctionality. In accordance with one embodiment, during the accountconfiguration phase, the user is presented with a user interface thatallows them to select the connection type that they intend to use forreceiving and sending faxes. As but one example of a user interface thatpresents different connection types for the user to select, considerFIG. 2.

There, user interface 200 presents multiple different connect types fromwhich the user can select. In this particular example, five differentconnection types are displayed: a local fax modem, a multi-functionperipheral (MFP) fax modem, a Windows® fax server, an Exchange® server,and a fax service provider. It is to be appreciated and understood thatthese particular connection types are not intended to limit applicationof the claimed subject matter to only these connection types. Rather,other connection types can be utilized without departing from the spiritand scope of the claimed subject matter.

As will be appreciated by the skilled artisan, in the Microsoftenvironment, the first three types of account require an associationwith an NT® Account. For example, bertv would be associated withntdev/bertv (which is an NT Account ‘bertv’ on the ‘ntdev’ domain). Byvirtue of being associated with an NT® account, the NT® authenticationmodel can be leveraged for use with the fax account. It is to beappreciated and understood that other authentication models can beutilized without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimedsubject matter.

For the first two account options, the fax service that handles allincoming and outgoing fax traffic executes on the local machine. In thiscase, all faxes are physically stored on the local machine.

For the last three account options, the fax service executes on a remoteserver and accordingly, primary storage is remote. A local storageoption can be provided for viewing and managing faxes off-line. For theFax Service Provider scenario, fax storage can automatically follow thesame rules as the e-mail account that is linked with it.

Fax Folders

As noted above, one of the features of a fax account is aninfrastructure support system that enables a user to organize and managefaxes. As an example of a user interface that enables the user toestablish and configure such an infrastructure, consider FIG. 3. There,a user interface 300 is presented to a user and enables the user toselect an account and change its settings (such as by adding ordesignating folders), add a new account, or remove an account.

In the illustrated and described embodiment, in addition to defaultfolders that can be provided, users can create and delete customuser-defined folders within their own account(s). In a shared fax serverenvironment, a fax administrator can create and delete folders for anyaccount on a particular server. Examples of default folders include, byway of example and not limitation, an Inbox folder, and Outbox folder, aSent Items folder, a Deleted Items folder and a Drafts folder.

In addition, folders can be associated with access control lists orACLs, which are used by a fax administrator to control user folderaccess. This adds a degree of security to the overall fax system. Inaddition, ACLs or permissions can be associated with the fax account ingeneral. For example, ACLs or permissions can be used in scenarioswhere, for example, an administrator may wish to view faxes belonging toa particular user account. This is possible if the administrator haspermissions on that particular user account.

In practice, a fax account can be represented in its own separate faxonly folder structure with a separate root that reflects the accountname. Alternately, the fax account can use a main mailbox in whiche-mail messages are delivered. The latter scenario gives the user toflexibility to receive all inbound messages (whether email or faxeddocuments) in the same location. The “Deliver new faxes to the followinglocation:” menu item 302 in user interface 300 allows the user toconfigure this aspect.

Account Types

As noted above, there can be different account types due to thedifferent types of transports that are used to implement the faxfunctionality. Setting up each of the different types of accounts canhave its own unique requirements. In the examples that follow, adescription of how these different account types can be set up isprovided. It is to be appreciated that the description below is notintended to limit application of the claimed subject matter. Rather, theexplanation is provided to give the reader some context of how thesedifferent types of accounts can be set up and configured.

Consider first the local fax modem and MFP fax modem cases in connectionwith FIG. 4. There, an automated configuration method first ascertains,at step 400, whether the local fax service is configured. If the localfax service is not configured, then step 402 configures the local faxservice. In the local fax modem case, this is done by, for example,configuring the fax modem hardware, as well as the fax service backend,as by creating the folder infrastructure for the user. In the MFP faxmodem case, this can be done by selecting the MFP device and configuringthe modem settings. If; on the other hand, the local fax service isconfigured, step 404 collects account specific information from theuser. This step can be implemented through a suitably configured userinterface. In at least some embodiments, the account specificinformation includes the account name and contact information, such asuser name, office, title, phone number, fax number, address, and billingcode.

Consider now the Exchange® server case in connection with FIG. 5. There,an automated configuration method collects, at step 500, Exchange®server account information. In this particular example, this informationincludes the server name and account logon information such as theuser's name and password. Step 502 ascertains whether the fax service isconfigured on the Exchange® server. If it is not, then step 504configures the fax service. In this particular example, this step can beperformed by prompting the user to contact their system administratorwith a request to create a fax account. The system administrator canthen take the steps that are necessary to set up and configure theaccount. In this example, the system administrator would create anExchange® account for the fax user and populate the account thepertinent information, such as the account name, password, contactinformation (e.g. name, office title and the like), as well as a billingcode if appropriate. In addition, the system administrator wouldconfigure the fax service backend. If, on the other hand, step 502ascertains that the fax service is configured on the Exchange® server,step 506 can collect local account specific information from the user.

Consider now the Windows® fax server case in connection with FIG. 6.There, an automated configuration method identifies, at step 600, aWindows® fax server with which to connect. Step 602 ascertains whetherthe fax service is configured on the server. If not, then step 604configures the fax service on the server. If, on the other hand, the faxservice is configured on the server, then step 606 collects localaccount specific information.

Consider now the fax service provider case in connection with FIG. 7.There, an automated configuration method first identifies, at step 700,a preferred fax service provider (FSP). This step can be accomplished byenabling the user to select from among a number of providers that may bepresented to the user in a list. Step 702 ascertains whether the userhas an account with the fax service provider. If not, then step 704signs the user up with the FSP. This step typically involvesaccomplishing provider-specific tasks, such as collecting user andaccount information and submitting it to the FSP in the mannerprescribed by the provider. This step also configures the fax servicebackend—which can include setting up an email account into which faxesare delivered.

If, on the other hand, step 702 ascertains that the user already has anFSP account, step 706 collects FSP account information, such as theuser's name and password. Step 708 then collects local account specificinformation as described above.

Having now considered the notion of a fax account and how the faxaccount can be set up and configured, consider now how fax accounts lookwhen deployed in two different scenarios—the local fax modem scenarioand the shared fax server scenario.

Local Fax Modem Scenario

FIG. 8 shows an example of the local fax modem scenario in which anumber of users (users 1 through m) have associated fax accounts.

In this example, the same client-server architecture that is utilized inthe scalable shared fax server solution described below is utilized. Inthis example, the person setting up and maintaining the server settingsis distinctly different than in a true client/server setup. This, inturn, invokes a distinct set of usability requirements.

In this scenario, a fax client (which is the software that interfaceswith the users) and local fax modem service run on a single computingdevice. In this scenario, it can be advantageous to abstract away thetechnical implementation details from the user when setting up andconfiguring this solution. To do so, an account wizard can be utilizedto guide the user through the set up procedure. In practice, the accountwizard can execute the method of FIG. 5 described above. So in thiscase, for example, the account wizard interfaces with the users toassist them in setting up their fax account, configures the client faxaccounts, the corresponding server fax accounts and, if necessary, thephysical modem or fax board in the computing device.

In this example, there is a direct 1-to-1 mapping between all of thesecomponents. That is, each user has one client fax account and eachclient fax account has an associated server fax account. Each fax clientis associated with one local fax service, and each fax service isassociated with one modem or fax board. It is to be appreciated andunderstood that departures from this mapping scheme can take placewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subjectmatter. In the event that there are multiple modems in the clientdevice, one of the modems is selected and used for fax purposes.

Hence, when a user logs in to the system, they log in through the faxclient. In some embodiments, the fax account ties into security andauthentication functionality which provides a degree of security for theuser. But one example of security and authentication functionality isthe Windows NT® authentication model, as mentioned above.

Shared Fax Server Scenario

In the shared fax server scenario, the architecture is the same as orsimilar to that of the local fax scenario. In this case, however, thereis a more traditional client/server relationship in which the fax clientexecutes on a client device, and the shared fax functionality executeson one or more servers that are typically remote from the client device.

As an example, consider FIG. 9 which illustrates a shared fax serverscenario in accordance with one embodiment.

In this example, a true client-server setup is utilized in whichmultiple fax clients executing on different computing devices canconnect to and interact with one or more dedicated fax server computingdevices. In this example, a fax administrator dedicates and configuresone or more modems or fax boards that are used for sending and receivingfaxes by the server. Multiple modems or fax boards can be used to loadbalance heavy fax message traffic.

The fax administrator can set up server fax accounts (SFA) for users touse from different remote clients. On a client computing device, the faxuser creates a single client fax account that is associated with theirserver fax account (SFA). In addition to setting up the SFA, the fax orsystem administrator can configure the accounts with certain attributes,such as restrictions on the amount of disk space that any one user canbe allocated for use.

The topology of FIG. 9 illustrates a number of the different possiblemappings that are possible. In this particular example, there is a 1:1connection between a client fax account and a server fax account (SFA).Multiple client fax accounts can point to the same server fax accountprovided that the client fax accounts are set up on a physicallydifferent computing device.

In this particular example, on a single machine there can be only oneclient fax account linked to a single server fax account. In the figure,fax user B has set up a client fax account on both fax client 2 and faxclient n, as he or she may frequently use both machines which may belocated in different physical locations. Both client fax accounts arelinked to the same server fax account (SFA2 _(2B)) on shared fax server2. Similarly, fax user D has a client fax account on fax client 2 andone on fax client 1. Each of these accounts is associated with the sameserver fax account (SFA3 _(1D)) on shared fax server 1.

If there are multiple fax servers in the organization, as there are inthis example, a fax user can have more than one server fax account, butonly one per server. In the FIG. 9 illustration, fax user A has a faxserver account on both shared fax server 1 (SFA1 _(1A)) and shared faxserver 2 (SFA1 _(2A)). He accesses both accounts from a single client(n), and therefore has configured two client fax accounts, eachassociated with the server fax account on each shared server.

Having now described fax accounts in general, how such accounts can becreated and configured, the infrastructure support mechanism forenabling a user to organize and manage faxes, various different accounttypes and exemplary topologies in both the local modem instance and theshared server instance, consider now how a user can use such features.

Using a Fax Account

Having set up a fax account as described above, consider now how a usercan create, send, receive and view faxes from within their account. Inthe discussion that follows below, specific examples are provided togive the reader some context on how a fax account might be used. It isto be appreciated and understood that the description that follows isnot intended to limit application of the claimed subject matter.

Creating a Fax

In at least some embodiments, a user can employ a cover sheet inconnection with their fax message. Cover pages provide a means to markthe boundary between the end of one fax and the start of another. Inaddition, cover pages can be used to identify the sender, the intendedrecipient, the subject, and other information.

In practice, cover page templates can be provided that includepre-designated fields (e.g. “From”, “To”, “Date”, “Subject”,“Importance” and the like) that enable a user to quickly and efficientlypopulate the cover page with the desired data. Alternately oradditionally, certain fields (such as the “To” and “Date” fields) can beautomatically pre-populated when the cover page is pulled up by theuser.

In the illustrated and described embodiment, a user can create orcompose a fax in a number of different ways. For example, a user cancreate a fax from within an email client. Alternately or additionally, auser can create a fax generally from within an application, such as aword processing application, spreadsheet application and the like. Foradditional information on how a user can create a fax as mentionedabove, the reader is referred to U.S. patent application Ser. No.______, entitled “Techniques for Creating a User-friendly Computer-BasedFax Experience”, naming as inventors Hubert Van Hoof, filed on Apr. 22,2005, assigned to the assignee of this document, and bearing attorneydocket number ms 1-2425us.

Sending a Fax

After a message has been composed in, for example, a compose window, theuser can click on a “Send” button to send the fax message. In theillustrated and described embodiment, and in the instance where theuser's infrastructure support resides in the form of a system offolders, the fax message can be moved from the “Drafts” folder to the“Outbox” folder. In this paradigm, the message then waits in the“Outbox” folder until the user clicks upon a “Send/Receive” button. Atthis point, the fax message is processed and sent to the intendedrecipient.

For additional information on sending a fax message, the reader isreferred to the U.S. patent application mentioned just above.

Receiving and Viewing a Fax

With regard to receiving and viewing fax messages, there are a couple ofdifferent choices that one can make. First, the message can be deliveredto the intended recipient only after the entire message is received.Alternately, the message or at least a portion of the message can bedelivered prior to the entire message having been received.

In one embodiment, the fax message is delivered to the recipient's Inboxfrom the moment at least one page has been received. This way, the usercan be provided with an early notification that a fax is inbound. Inthis particular scenario and in accordance with one embodiment, a faxmessage in the Inbox can show one of three possible states, eachrepresented by its own message icon. An incoming state indicates thatthe fax is being received; a complete state indicates that the fax hasbeen entirely received; and a failed state indicates that the fax wasnot completely received because an error occurred. In this scenario, theuser can view the fax pages that were received before the transmissionfailure occurred.

In the shared fax server environment, faxes in a user's Inbox that havebeen assigned by a fax administrator can have accurate data about thesender (name, phone number metadata that can be added by theadministrator after visual inspection of the first page of the fax) andthe subject of the fax which is used to populate the “From” and“Subject” fields for the fax.

In accordance with one embodiment, viewing a fax in an Inbox adopts thee-mail metaphor. Hence, the look and feel of the fax experience can besimilar in many regards to a user's email experience. In this context, afax Preview pane can inhabit the same physical space as the e-mailPreview pane. In the illustrated and described embodiment, a fax previewdisplays bitmap pages that are by default scaled for their page width tofit the available space.

If more control over the message's individual pages is desired, the usercan double click the message line in the Inbox to open a fax message inits own fax message reader window. Here a view is enabled with anoptional thumbnail pane on the left of the window, and a full page viewon the right hand side. As an example, consider FIG. 10 whichillustrates an exemplary fax message reader window in accordance withone embodiment. Notice to the left of the fax message appears a numberof thumbnail views of individual pages of the fax message.

Re-Assigning Faxes

Having now considered fax accounts and how those fax accounts can beused to compose, send and receive fax messages, consider now the issueof routing fax messages to the appropriate and intended recipient in thecontext of the shared fax server.

When a fax message is received by an entity such as a small or largecompany, the fax message is typically received over one or a couplededicated phone lines. That is, there is typically a single phone numbergiven out for a particular entity and this phone number is used for allfaxes that the entity receives. When a fax is received, there istypically no differentiation within the particular fax protocol toestablish to whom the fax message is to be delivered. In addition, inscenarios that do not employ fax accounts, anyone with access to the faxserver can typically access all fax messages.

Specifically, established fax protocols do not carry the same richmetadata to identify the sender and recipient of a message as do theire-mail counterparts. That means that when a fax is received, there islittle or no metadata about the message itself, other than perhaps thehighly unreliable Transmitting Subscriber Identification (TSID) and CSIDidentifiers, and a date and time stamp.

The actual content embedded in the message itself is consequently theonly information available to find important attributes of the messagethat can help identify the sender and intended recipient, as well as thesubject.

In the embodiments described below, fax messages can be examined andthen re-assigned to the appropriate intended recipient. In theillustrated and described embodiments, this can take place in a numberof different ways. For example, the fax message can be visuallyinspected by a system administrator or other designated person, and thenre-assigned to the intended recipient. Alternately or additionally, thefax message can be algorithmically analyzed and automaticallyre-assigned to the intended recipient. In some scenarios, thealgorithmic analysis can be overseen and its accuracy confirmed by asystem administrator or other designated person.

In each of these scenarios and in the event a cover sheet is used forthe fax message, the system can be configured to allow access to onlythe cover sheet thus preserving the privacy of the message's content. Inaddition, to preserve the confidentiality of the fax message, the systemcan be configured to re-assign the fax message to the intendedrecipient, without retaining a copy of the fax message. This is somewhatdifferent from the email paradigm in which a copy of a forwarded emailmessage is retained by the individual who forwards the message.

Making these scenarios possible is the notion of the fax account,introduced above. With a fax account, each fax message is owned by aparticular user having the fax account. A user can only view faxes thatbelong to or are associated with his or her fax account.

An accounts based model facilitates routing of faxes by re-assigningthem to the account of the final recipient. In the illustrated anddescribed embodiment, faxes that are received on a particular modem areviewable or process-able only by designated entities referred to asrouting assistants. In at least some embodiments, the routing assistantis a human who may or may not draw upon automated algorithmic analysistechniques to help them in their routing tasks. In other embodiments,the routing assistant can be a purely automated solution.

As an example, consider FIG. 11 which shows a system having a routingassistant and two fax users A and B communicatively linked by a network.As a fax message is received, the routing assistant reassigns thereceived fax to the appropriate fax account. In this particular example,assume that the fax message is intended for fax user A. In this case,the routing assistant ascertains the intended recipient from theaddressing information associated with the fax message, and thenre-assigns the fax message to the intended recipient.

In many cases, a fax message will have a cover sheet. In these cases,the addressing information can be found on the cover sheet or, if nocover sheet is employed, on the first sheet of the fax message.

In at least some embodiments, the process of ascertaining the intendedrecipient is performed by visually inspecting the addressing informationand then re-assigning the fax message to the appropriate recipient. Inthis case, the routing assistant, working on a computing device thatreceives the fax message, can re-assign the fax message from theircomputing device. In the FIG. 11 example, the routing assistant'scomputing device includes a processor and one or more computer-readablemedia. Embodied on the computer readable media are components that canhelp the routing assistant perform the re-assignment tasks.Specifically, in this example, a re-assignment module executing on thecomputing device can help the routing assistant pull up a list ofpotential fax recipients and then, for any particular fax message,select the appropriate recipient for fax re-assignment.

Alternately or additionally, the fax message can be algorithmicallyanalyzed to ascertain the intended recipient. In this particularexample, the algorithmic analysis of the fax message can take a numberof different forms. For example, the fax message can be processed by anoptical character recognition (OCR) module in an attempt to identify theintended recipient from text that might appear on a cover sheet.Alternately or additionally, a handwriting analysis module can processthe fax message in an attempt to identify handwritten addressinginformation. The handwriting analysis module and the OCR module can workindependently of one another or in concert with each other (includingthe human routing assistant).

As but one example of how re-assigning fax messages can take place inconnection with the routing assistant, consider the following. Faxmessages can have different attributes that facilitate theirre-assignment. For example, the addressing information that can appearon a fax message cover sheet can provide one means through which therouting assistant can perform its function. In addition, at least somefax messages can include a TSID/CSID (mentioned above), a caller ID orcall attributes such as the DID (mentioned above). These attributes canalso provide a basis by which a routing assistant can perform itsfunction. And, while some of these attributes may not be as accurate soas to support a fully automated solution with full confidence, theseattributes can still be employed in combination with human interventionto reduce the likelihood of a misdirected fax message. For example, allfax messages that are received over a particular line may beautomatically routed or re-assigned to a particular routing assistant(e.g., a fully automated routing assistant). This particular routingassistant can, in turn, view or otherwise evaluate the cover sheetinformation, including one or more of the attributes mentioned above,and re-assign the fax message to either another routing assistant (e.g.,a human administrator to confirm the ascertained recipient), or to theintended recipient.

Implementation Example—Re-Assigning Faxes

In but one implementation example of re-assigning fax messages to theintended recipients in the context of a shared fax server environment,consider the following. A fax routing administrator can be given accessrights to visually inspect the first page of all incoming faxes. Onlyallowing access to the first page significantly reduces privacyconcerns, as in most cases the first page is a cover sheet. Typically acover sheet or data embedded in the first page will contain all relevantmetadata related to the fax message. This metadata can include, by wayof example and not limitation, sender information, recipient name(s) andsubject.

Thus, in this context, when a fax is received by a shared fax server, itis placed into an “All Fax Users” account which is the default accountcreated by the fax server. The fax routing administrator is given accesspermissions to this universal account. This fax can then get moved to aparticular individual user's account through manual intervention. Inthis example, the fax routing administrator first looks at the fax anddecides to which user (and associated account) it belongs, and thenassigns the fax to that user's fax account. This, in turn, can move thatparticular fax to the particular user's Inbox folders. One way that thiscan work is by having the fax routing administrator right-click on theFax and select an “Assign to . . .” menu. From the “Assign to” menu, thefax routing administrator can select the appropriate intended recipient.

In this particular example, a user interface in the form of an “AssignFax Dialog” can be presented to the fax routing administrator to assistthem. The “Assign Fax Dialog” would, in the FIG. 11 example, beimplemented by the re-assignment module. In one embodiment, in the“Assign Fax Dialog” the fax routing administrator can fill in metadatatag descriptions that pertain to the received fax. For example, the faxrouting administrator can fill in information that pertains to thesender's name, the sender's fax phone number, the subject, and whetherthe fax has a cover page.

In addition, in at least one embodiment, the “Assign Fax Dialog” canenable the fax routing administrator to select multiple recipientsand/or, in the event the intended recipient does not have an activatedfax account, create a new fax account for the user.

Consider now the fully automated case in which, for example, either orboth of the OCR module and handwriting analysis module are used forre-assigning faxes. In this case, assume that the cover sheet is in agenerally standardized format which lends itself to quickly andaccurately identifying pre-defined fields. In this case, the intendedrecipient might be quickly identified from the text appearing in the“TO” field. As such, the OCR module can work in concert with there-assignment module to re-assign the fax message to the intendedrecipient. In this manner, the metatag descriptions in the re-assignedfax message mentioned above can be automatically populated by there-assignment module and then re-assigned to the intended recipient.

In at least some embodiments, and by virtue of the fax account solution,various degrees of routing privileges can be assigned to individual faxaccounts. For example, in the example discussed above, the fax routingadmistrator's fax account is configured to permit routing privileges. Inaddition, such privileges can have limitations imposed of them. Forexample a routing privilege may come with a restriction that only thefirst page of any one fax message can be reviewed, or that all pages ofa fax message can be reviewed. In addition, administrator settings candefine one or more time windows in a day for routing privileges, e.g.between 8-10 A.M. and 3-4 P.M. Further, administrator settings candefine how notifications and routing are to take place in the event thatfax messages are not routed within a certain definable window.

In addition, in some embodiments, rules can be set or defined for whenfull automatic routing is allowed based on algorithmic accuracyprediction of the routing information. For example, in the context of amedical or law office, fully automatic routing might not be desirabledue to the sensitivity of the information that may be contained in a faxmessage. In this case then, a partially automated solution may bedesirable in which, for example, an OCR module identifies the intendedrecipient which is then confirmed by a human administrator. Yet, inother contexts, a fully automated solution may be desirable, such as inthose circumstances where the sensitivity material that might becontained in a fax message is not an issue.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram that describes steps in a method in accordancewithin one embodiment. The method can be implemented in connection withany suitable hardware, software, firmware or combination thereof. In butone embodiment, the method can be implemented in connection with ashared fax server environment, examples of which are given above. Inaddition, in but one embodiment, the method can be implemented inconnection with a system, such as the system shown and described inrelation to FIG. 11.

Step 1200 receives a fax message. This step can be implemented in anysuitable way. In but one embodiment, this step is performed in a sharedfax server environment. In addition, this step can be performed by a faxrouting administrator and/or a computing device that is embodied withthe functionality described above.

Step 1202 ascertains the intended recipient(s) of the fax message. Thisstep can be performed in a number of different ways. For example, thisstep can be performed manually, as by a fax routing administratorvisually inspecting the fax message to ascertain the intendedrecipient(s). Alternately or additionally, this step can be performedsemi-automatically, as by the fax message being algorithmically analyzedwith a human administrator confirming the intended recipient.Alternately or additionally, this step can be performed in a fullyautomatic manner, as by the message being algorithmically analyzed, asdescribed above.

Once the intended recipient(s) is (are) identified, step 1204 re-assignsthe fax message to fax account(s) associated with intended recipient(s).Examples of how this can be done are described above. It is to beappreciated that this step can be performed manually, in asemi-automatic manner, or in an automatic manner.

CONCLUSION

In the embodiments described above, fax accounts are provided and usedto create an association between users and documents that are faxed. Afax account allows a user to secure their faxed documents and organizeand streamline fax communication via different transports, such as via aphone line/modem, a server (such as a Windows® server or MicrosoftExchange® server), an Internet fax service provider, and the like.Security is enhanced, in at least some embodiments, through the use ofan authentication model that authenticates individual users beforegiving them access to the fax functionality or, more accurately, theirfax account. Fax accounts also provide users with an infrastructurethrough which they can manage their documents. In the embodimentsdescribed in this document, the infrastructure that is employed is afolder infrastructure that is similar in look and feel to the folderinfrastructure that a user may use to manage their email account. Inaddition, in at least some embodiments, fax accounts can be used tomanage and direct received faxes to the intended recipient, thusreducing the possibility that an unintended recipient gaining access tothe fax. This feature is implemented via the notion of privileges thatcan be assigned to individual fax accounts.

Further, fax accounts provide a foundation for extensibility into thefuture. Specifically, fax accounts can be embodied with properties andcharacteristics that further enhance the user experience. Accordingly,as developers come up with new and innovative features, these featurescan be easily incorporated into the overall fax functionality by virtueof the fax account.

Although the invention has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological steps, it is to be understoodthat the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarilylimited to the specific features or steps described. Rather, thespecific features and steps are disclosed as preferred forms ofimplementing the claimed invention.

1. A method comprising: presenting a user interface from which a faxaccount can be established; using the user interface to establish a faxaccount.